I read in multiple posts about raising chickens as a simple way to improve your self-sufficiency. Here is a older guy minding his business in a CNY community who will now have to get rid of his 4 chickens, due to a change in zoning laws.

Frazier, 67, said he's had chickens since he moved into the house 40 years ago. He's currently raising four birds - a rooster and three hens. The hens deliver about 10 chicks a year, Frazier said. He takes the chicks to a friend who owns a farm.

"When I moved into the house 40 years ago it was zoned to have livestock, and I've had chickens ever since," Frazier said. "I've never had any problems."

...

Only once in 40 years has a neighbor complained, Frazier said. That was when the chickens got loose and were walking along Downer Street.

"I never even knew they were there," Beckhusen said.

Now I am not sure that I would want to wake up at the crack of dawn every morning to a bunch of roosters, but if no one even noticed that the guy had them, what is the foul?

There will be many zoning battles going forward if the Long Emergency predictions come true.

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3
comments:

I often lament the fact that zoning laws aren't more friendly to people trying to live sustainably. My own city allows chickens, but limits the number. I received dire warnings from the animal control officer, when I called to find out about the regulations, about possible fines for violating noise ordinances, etc. If I get chickens, I won't be keeping a rooster anyway. Right now, I have to figure out how to build a coop that can keep out raccoons (of which we have many).

If the guy has had them for forty years (documentable)and the ordinance has been on the books for less than that time, his activities ought to be classified as a non-conforming grandfathered land use. In otherwords, permissable. Especially if there haven't been complaints.

If I were him, I'd make a big stink at a city council hearing meeting. Politicians hate this kind of thing.

Land use laws are pretty solid things, but they can't be used to capreciously to stop someone just because they don't like what they are doing.

We are currently appealing to the Town of Chatham (NY) Zoning Board to be allowed keep four hens on over an acre in a hamlet area. We think of it as part of our effort to have as much local food as possible for our family. Our neighbors have complained that chickens "don't belong" in a residential area. We feel that keeping a few chickens is a traditional residential behavior and should be allowed.